Kris Lees forgoes special training milestone as COVID causes chaos for his family
A planned get-together with his two boys has seen Kris Lees miss a magical training milestone, but the family gathering has fallen by the wayside in confusing circumstances.
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Kris Lees had just trained his 2000th career winner — but still felt disappointed.
The champion Newcastle trainer wasn’t at the Kensington meeting where his emerging sprinter Killin gave him the magical milestone in the De Bortoli Wines Handicap (1100m) as he wanted to watch his sons play footy.
“Manning (8) and Marshall (16) were getting ready to play their first games of rugby league for the season today and they called them off this morning due to COVID,’’ Lees said.
“I’m disappointed for them as they were really looking forward to playing again. There are other codes playing footy in Newcastle so I’m not really sure what is going on.
“This is my first Saturday away from the races since the Magic Millions so although I’m upset for the boys, it’s hasn’t been all bad with Killin’s win.’’
Lees only began training in 2003 following the death of his father, Max, and he has made a huge success of his training career from his Broadmeadow stable base.
Killin was his 2000th winner in a career that has also yielded 15 Group 1 winners and more than $80 million prizemoney. He’s trained many outstanding gallopers including his champion filly Samantha Miss, Le Romain, Lucia Valentina, County Tyrone, Clearly Innocent and In Her Time.
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Lees said late last week his career highlights include his breakthrough Group 1 win in the 2004 The Metropolitan with the last big-race winner his father trained, County Tyrone, preparing Samantha Miss to win three majors including the 2008 Victoria Oaks, and Lucia Valentina’s brilliant 2016 Queen Elizabeth Stakes.
But when pressed on his outstanding achievement of training 2000 winners, Lees was typically nonchalant.
“l suppose it is,’’ Lees said when asked about his career milestone. “If you have enough runners and a lot of horses, the numbers start to get up after a while.
“I don’t get too rapt up in numbers. It was only really brought to my attention the other day, I’m not really into that. I’m worried about the next 2000.”
Killin ($9) may not be the best racehorse Lees has ever had but he earned a significant place in the trainer’s career history when he led throughout to beat Tailleur ($1.75 favourite) by more than two lengths with Vulpine ($21) a half length away third, just in front of Emeralds.
Lees said Killin has always shown promise but he needed gelded to realise his racetrack potential.
“He came across as a smart two-year-old but he was a bit of a lad,’’ Lees said.
“So, we made the decision to geld him and he’s come back in pretty good order, two from two, so he is certainly going the right way. It’s winter racing but he’s still got improvement going forward.’’
Lees said he has no immediate ambitious plans for Killin despite the three-year-old’s win against quality opposition.
“It will be just about placing him and going through his grades. There is such good prize money on offer in Saturday racing so he’s in at the right time,’’ the trainer said.
Tim Clark had been run down on a leader by Tailleur at Randwick two weeks ago and wasn’t about to let that happen again on Killin.
“I was well aware of Tailleur and her ability,’’ Clark said. “I did something similar on Switched the other day and she was able to get me on the line. I was just hoping I would hang on today.’’
Clark said Killin showed at Gosford last start that he had returned in great order and he made the difficult transition to Sydney Saturday grade look routine.
“It’s not an easy step from a Gosford maiden to a Saturday race and there was good talent in this race but he has put his ‘hand’ up and said he is ready to take that next step,’’ Clark said.
“He has always shown a bit of ability through his career but now he is a gelding and has had that confidence booster at Gosford he has kicked on from that.’’
Tailleur had won first-up on a very heavy track earlier this month but jockey Jason Collett said the filly wasn’t entirely comfortable in the conditions yesterday on a track that was clearly favouring those on-pace and close to the inside rail.
“At the turn I was thinking how far is this going to win by,’’ Collett said.
“But she just spun her wheels in the straight in that ground. As soon as she got off the bridle she was going nowhere.’’
MOORE HAPPENING BY THE MINUTE
John Moore is confined to Hong Kong for now but is already at work with brother Gary’s Rosehill stables.
“I’m getting time sheets from John for trackwork every morning,’’ Gary Moore said. “I’ll send photos and videos of our horses so he is right across everything.’’
The Moore brothers have formed a training partnership for the new season starting on August 1 but the COVID-19 pandemic is causing some travel problems for John.
A legend in Hong Kong racing, John Moore had his last runners there last Wednesday and is having a short break for a week or two before determining when he will leave for Sydney.
“John knows he has to do two weeks in isolation when he arrives here,’’ Garry Moore said.
“But he’s really looking forward to the challenge. We haven’t worked together since 1985 when I rode for John’s stable in Hong Kong for a year before leaving for France.’’
METRO ON THE MENUE FOR LEE BROTHERS
Zacada, the tough New Zealand stayer who was narrowly beaten by Who Shot Thebarman in the 2018 Sydney Cup, has joined the Jim and Greg Lee stable to be prepared for the Sydney spring carnival.
“We are going to aim him at The Metropolitan,’’ Greg Lee said.
The Lee brothers prepared Hayai to win The Metropolitan in 1983-84 so they know what is required to win Randwick’s big spring staying race.
But they’ve “employed” a couple of former champion jockeys to help them in their quest for another The Metropolitan — Hall of Famer Jim Cassidy and Neville Voigt.
Cassidy rode four Metropolitan winners on Heart Ruler (1997), Zamination (1993), Hunter (1989) and Spritely Native (1985) while Voigt won the race twice on Hayai (1983) and Tails (1969).
“There’s eight Metropolitan wins between us,’’ Lee quipped at Randwick trackwork on Saturday.
“It’s great having Jim Cassidy and Neville Voigt working with us, I don’t have to tell them anything.
“Jim comes along a couple of days a week. He’s stays over the night before and is with me at the stables from 1.30am then Nev gets here about 4am. They love it.’’
BELLE RINGS OUT AT KENSINGTON MEETING
Melody Belle, the 10-time Group 1 winner, gave a midwinter Randwick Kensington meeting a dash of class and quality when she had an exhibition gallop between races.
The champion New Zealand mare was ridden by Tommy Berry wasn’t asked to overly exert herself in a solo workout on the heavy track.
Trainer Jamie Richards said Melody Belle will resume in the Group 2 Missile Stakes at Rosehill on August 8 ahead of the Group 1 Winx Stakes at Randwick two weeks later.
NOBODY DOES IT BETTER THAN FRANK
Frank Cleary got the perfect 72nd birthday present last Thursday night when the Canberra Raiders defeated the Sydney Roosters 24-20.
“We had a bit of a family gathering for Frank to celebrate his birthday and the Raiders winning was the icing on the cake,’’ said son Joe Cleary, trainer of Choccy Gaf which ran well for fourth to Giovanna Run in the juvenile opener on the Kensington track.
“It’s also Frank’s 50th year as a trainer so it was a great night. But some things never change — he was the last to bed and the first at trackwork the next morning.’’
ANOTHER MEETING IN COVID GUN?
Racing NSW is considering whether to relocate the Warwick Farm meeting scheduled for July 29.
A COVID-19 scare prompted Racing NSW to abandon the Warwick Farm midweek program last Wednesday after it was determined stablehands from that course had visited the nearby Crossroads Hotel at Casula, the epicentre of the latest outbreak in Sydney.
Marc Van Gestel told Sky Sports Radio yesterday morning that a decision is due in coming days whether the next week’s Warwick Farm races, the final meeting of the 2019-20 Sydney season, will be held at the venue.
Originally published as Kris Lees forgoes special training milestone as COVID causes chaos for his family